Josef Hader
Josef Hader (born 14 February 1962) is an Austrian stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker.
Josef Hader

Bernhard Holub · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- Josef Hader
- Born
- 14 February 1962
- Birthplace
- Waldhausen im Strudengau, Upper Austria, Austria
- Occupation
- Comedian, actor, writer
- Nationality
- Austria
- Education
- Stiftsgymnasium Melk
- Honours
- Romy · Kainz Medal · Bavarian Stand-up Comedian Award · Austrian Film Award · German cabaret prize · Ernst Lubitsch award
- Languages
- German
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Josef Hader (born 14 February 1962) is an Austrian stand-up comedian, actor and filmmaker.
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Note VALÉORINE
Josef Hader (born 1962) is an actor, cabaret performer and film actor, among other activities, of Austrian nationality. The actor was born in Waldhausen im Strudengau.
Josef Hader was educated at Stiftsgymnasium Melk. The actor is a member of Academy of Austrian Film and Deutsche Filmakademie.
Languages used include German. Honours include Austrian Film Award, Bairische Sprachwurzel and Bavarian Stand-up Comedian Award, among others.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q167090 · wikipedia · Josef Hader
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Josef Hader • Born — 14 February 1962 • Birthplace — Waldhausen im Strudengau, Upper Austria, Austria • Occupation — Comedian, actor, writer • Years Active — 1982–present • Children — 2
Life and career
Life and career
Hader was born in Waldhausen im Strudengau, Upper Austria and grew up in Nöchling in Lower Austria where he attended the Stiftsgymnasium Melk. During this time he made his first comedy attempts at his school. After his civilian service at the Red Cross he started studying German and History. As a student he began working on his first comedy programme Fort Geschritten. His second programme Der Witzableiter und das Feuer won the prestigious Salzburger Stier comedy award. After aborting his study and writing Biagn und Brechen (1988) and Bunter Abend (1990) he celebrated his breakthrough with the tragicomic play Indien, together with the comedian Alfred Dorfer, which was filmed by Paul Harather in 1993 with Josef Hader himself in the leading role. With the film Indien and his following shows Im Keller (1993) and Privat (1994) he became one of the most successful and most respected comedians in the German-speaking world. His comedy programme Privat is the most successful comedy in Austrian history. His most recent show called "Hader muss weg" is more acting than comedy. Hader plays seven different roles using no props other than a simple Trenchcoat and acts only through gestures, voice and facial expression. Since then, Hader has starred in commercially successful films such as Komm, süßer Tod (2000), Silentium (2004) and The Bone Man (2009), while also gaining critical acclaim for his performances in dramas such as Der Überfall (2000) or Ein halbes Leben (2008). Among others awards, he received the Best Actor Award at the Locarno International Film Festival, the Romy Award, the Adolf Grimme Award and the German Television Award. He is a regular guest on various German Comedyshows, such as Neues aus der Anstalt on ZDF, Scheibenwischer on Das Erste, Quatsch Comedy Club on Pro Sieben or Ottfried Fischer's Ottis Schlachthof on Bayerischer Rundfunk which increased his popularity in Germany. Hader is the father of two sons.
Comedy and plays
Comedy and plays
• 1982: Fort Geschritten • 1985: Der Witzableiter und das Feuer • 1986: Im milden Westen • 1987: Tausche Witze gegen Geld • 1988: Biagn oder Brechen • 1990: Bunter Abend • 1991: Indien (with Alfred Dorfer) • 1993: Im Keller • 1994: Privat • 1997: Hader spielt Hader • 2004: Hader muss weg
Filmography
Filmography
• Illustration — Josef Hader at the University of Vienna speaking at the 2009 student protests in Austria • Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1988 — Sternberg – Shooting Star — Meier • 1992 — Duett — Mallinger's nephew at the bank — TV movie • Cappuccino Melange — Manfred Seidl — TV movie • 1993 — Indien — Heinz Bösel — also co-writer • 1999 — Geboren in Absurdistan — Lorry driver • 2000 — Hold-Up — Werner Kopper • Komm, süßer Tod — Brenner — also co-writer • White Cherries — Otto Bucek • 2002 — Blue Moon — Johnny Pichler • Weihnachten — Herr Wächter — TV movie • 2004 — Silentium — Brenner — also co-writer • 3=Basta – Rotwein oder Totsein — Nowak • 2005 — Josef Hader im heiligen Land — Himself — Documentary • 2006 — Heaven — Hermann Kaltenbrunner — Part of the 8 x 45 television series • 2007 — Hounds (2007 film) — Henrik • Cleisto — Himself • Attwenger Adventure — Himself — Documentary • 2008 — Randgestalten — Butcher • Ein halbes Leben — Ulrich Lenz — TV movie • Zibb — Himself — TV series documentary • 2009 — Screen Test — Herr Kaiser (voice) — Animated film • The Bone Man — Brenner — also co-writer • Little White Lies (2009 film) — Ametsbichler • 2010 — Widerstand im Haiderland — Himself — Documentary • Aufschneider — Dr. Hermann Fuhrmann — TV series, also co-writer • Kabarett, Kabarett — Himself — Documentary • Die verrückte Welt der Ute Bock — Policeman • 2011 — Wie man leben soll — Leo • 2012 — Diamantenfieber oder Kauf dir einen bunten Luftballon — Uncle Fritz • 2014 — Kafka's The Burrow — Hausmeister • 2015 — Life Eternal — Brenner • 2016 — Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe — Stefan Zweig • 2017 — Wild Mouse — Georg — Also director • 2020 — The Story of My Wife — Post-production • 2024 — Andrea Gets a Divorce — Franz — Also director
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1962
Josef Hader born at Waldhausen im Strudengau.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Josef Hader”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q167090: Josef Hader
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly publication
- Inszenierungen und Bedeutung von Pausen in den Kabaretts von Josef Hader, Pandaemonium Germanicum, 2021
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2021
Awards
• 1985: Salzburger Stier • 1986: Österreichischer Kleinkunstpreis • 1990: Deutscher Kleinkunstpreis • 1992: Österreichischer Kleinkunstpreis • 1993: Deutscher Kabarettpreis • 1993: Förderpreis zur Kainz-Medaille • 1994: Platinum album for the CD Privat • 1994: Platinum album for the VHS tape Privat • 1999: Nestroy Ring • 2000: Locarno International Film Festival – Best Actor • 2001: Romy Award for Komm, süßer Tod • 2009: Diagonale Acting Award • 2009: Deutscher Fernsehpreis (German Television Award) • 2010: Nomination for the Goldene Kamera • 2010: Adolf Grimme Award • 2010: Das große Kleinkunstfestival (Berlinpreis) • 2010: Romy Award for The Bone Man • 2011: Bayerischer Kabarettpreis (Hauptpreis) • 2011: Göttinger Elch • 2017: Dieter Hildebrandt Prize • 2022: Österreichischer Kabarettpreis
Josef Hader
Basti007

Josef Hader on a Q A session following the release of Das Ewige Leben
Leonidas from XIV
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
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References
Citations
References
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scholarly publication
Inszenierungen und Bedeutung von Pausen in den Kabaretts von Josef Hader, Pandaemonium Germanicum, 2021Crossref registry
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Josef Hader received Romy, Kainz Medal, Bavarian Stand-up Comedian Award, Austrian Film Award, German cabaret prize and Ernst Lubitsch award. Recorded as having received Romy, Kainz Medal and Bavarian Stand-up Comedian Award.
Recognition and collections
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
38,018 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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